


Mischief's Malice

by solomonara



Series: Mischief's Malice [2]
Category: Gundam Wing, Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe, DCMK - Freeform, M/M, PTSD, Post-Conan Kudou Shinichi, Post-Endless Waltz, Swearing, asexual Heero, canon-appropriate stupidity, dubious legal proceedings, empath Quatre, established Duo/Heero, established Quatre/Trowa, established Shinichi/Kaito (twice), ignores Frozen Teardrop, kaishin - Freeform, lots of rooftops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 11:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8054200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/pseuds/solomonara
Summary: Life in AC 199 isn't easy for a guy from the twenty-first century, but Kudo Shinichi is trying to make it work. First order of business: figure out what to do about his criminal boyfriend. (ties up some loose ends from My Future in Your Hands)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This right here is a SEQUEL to [My Future in Your Hands](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6752446/chapters/15431728). If you don't read that first you will be pretty darn lost.
> 
> Beta'd, as always, by [DragonSorceress22](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSorceress22/pseuds/DragonSorceress22), with many thanks for having patience with me and my liberal abuse of dashes of all sizes.
> 
> Rated this one T, but speak up if you think the rating or warnings should change. I'm happy to oblige.

 

Shinichi ran. He ran in the rain down city streets and on windy days across soccer fields and around tracks under fat white clouds and on a treadmill while it snowed. He ran alone, or he ran with friends who were both old and new, or he ran with Preventers agents. He ran at night or in the morning.

And sometimes he chased a grinning phantom up endless flights of stairs at three AM and all that running _still_ wasn't enough. He had yet to come anywhere close to KID. Kaito had been busy while Shinichi slept. Catching up was beginning to seem impossible.

 

The first notice had appeared no less than a month after the departure of the _other_ Kaito and Shinichi. The ones who had stepped through a tear in the universe to set in motion the events that lead to his own recovery – just as Shinichi himself and _his_ Kaito had done centuries ago, though they had stepped from this dimension to yet another one. It was all more than a little maddening, and the only way to stop it happening again and again throughout the multiverse was to get Kaito to hold still for two seconds and listen to reason.

This was proving difficult.

For one thing, Shinichi couldn't _find_ him. He scoured Earth and space in that month before the notice appeared and turned up nothing but the remnants of the so-called Clubs. He swept them up as a matter of course when he happened upon them, but they weren't what he was after.

He was starting to think that KID had gone to ground permanently when the notice arrived with little fanfare at the regional police headquarters in Tokyo. If it hadn't been for the _thoroughly_ comprehensive alerts Trowa and Quatre had helped him set up, Shinichi would never even have known about it; the police certainly weren't taking it seriously. That was fine. Shinichi needed a few moments alone with KID anyway.

But the heist was an all-around disaster, at least for Shinichi. He was lucky he caught a glimpse of KID, never mind actually laying hands on him. KID favored him with a rueful shake of his head from a distant rooftop before vanishing into the night. Shinichi hadn't even come close.

After that, KID ran heists like clockwork all around the globe, though Shinichi was the only one still calling them "heists". Actually they were more like stings, with a high-ranking former Clubs member tied up in a neat package at the end of every one – including some rather high-profile individuals whose ties to organized crime had been quite unknown. The world was going crazy for this hero who called himself Kaito KID, while the global police were going crazy trying to control this vigilante.

The Preventers shared what they knew about him with the police, leaving out his age but including the fact that he'd been the leader of the Clubs. Attempting to quell KID's popularity, the police spread the word that the hero was really a criminal, but the public didn't care. He was clearly a _reformed_ criminal, righting his wrongs with irresistible style. The heists were starting to feel more and more familiar as crowds thronged the streets every time KID announced he was going after a new target.

None of this helped Shinichi. He'd always enjoyed unlocking the science behind KID's magic, but that science was now sufficiently advanced that KID's tricks might as well have been _actual_ magic. Shinichi simply didn't have the context to know what fell in the realm of possibility anymore, particularly since KID had always known how to blur that line anyway.

Still, he chased him.

And tonight, all that running was about to pay off.

 

KID's target this time was the Presidential Mansion in Brussels. After the Mariemaia insurrection it had been turned into a museum, but it was still one of the most defensible spots on the planet. The police considered lowering it into the ground but decided against it – whether because they didn't want to go to such lengths to protect KID's target who, whoever it was, was about to be revealed as a criminal or because they were a little bit worried that KID might turn up with a mobile suit and a buster rifle to get inside, Shinichi wasn't sure. The end result was the same.

The end result was him vaulting off a balcony trying to grab the overhanging roof to haul himself up – and missing.

A moment of stomach-swooping freefall, and then a white-gloved hand was wrapped around his wrist. Moonlight glinted off of KID's monocle as he consolidated his grip on Shinichi's arm and hauled the detective onto the roof.

"Honestly, tantei-kun," KID said. "The things you get yourself into." He released Shinichi as soon as he was out of danger of falling and stepped away, well out of arm's reach, looking at him curiously.

"What?" Shinichi huffed out, getting to his feet. He had a thousand questions for KID and that hadn't been one of them, but it was the one that came out.

KID shook his head. "I don't get it. You seem to have patched things up with those pilots. Quatre's letting you live with him. Why aren't they helping you?"

"I— huh." He actually hadn't considered asking any of them for help. "Doesn't that seem like cheating?"

KID laughed and Shinichi's heart broke because nothing else in this century sounded like home. "Tantei-kun. I have several centuries of experience on you. You can cheat a little." His grin turned a little toothier. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a criminal to apprehend." A puff of smoke and he was gone.

Shinichi waved a hand in front of his face, dispelling the smoke. When he saw the roof was empty, he pulled a large pair of glasses out of his pocket and grinned a grin of his own. Apparently he was doing so poorly at these heists that KID was starting to underestimate him. Otherwise he certainly would have noticed when Shinichi slipped a tracking sticker under KID's cuff as he'd hauled him onto the roof.

 

The tracking didn't last long before KID twigged to it, of course, but it was enough to give Shinichi the edge he needed. Or maybe it was the boost in confidence that made the difference. Either way, an hour later when KID slunk into the security room where the mechanism to lower the building was housed, Shinichi was waiting for him.

"Nice of you to keep my things safe for me all these years," he said, stepping out of the shadows with his watch raised and ready. KID actually looked surprised for a millisecond before letting out a triumphant cackle and throwing himself at Shinichi. Shinichi, who had been expecting a taunt or perhaps a misdirection followed by an escape, was so startled that he didn't fire – and then KID's arms were around him and he was kissing him full on the mouth and the watch was _really_ forgotten.

KID's hand slid up the back of Shinichi's neck and into his hair, gripping. " _Finally_. Welcome back, Shinichi."

Then KID was backing away and Shinichi felt it, immediately – he was about to lose him – and he reached out blindly, actually managing to catch a bit of KID's cape in his fist. KID looked back at him, amused.

"Wait," Shinichi said, only a little embarrassed by how out of breath he was. But at least this time KID's kiss hadn't literally knocked him out. "I need to talk to you. I have so many questions, and there's something—"

He was interrupted by shouts from the hallway. Someone else had figured out what KID was up to. KID's cape slithered out of Shinichi's fingers and there was a mechanical _thump_. The entire room – the entire building, in fact – began shaking and Shinichi realized suddenly that it was descending.

"KID, wait!" he called out, knowing it was already too late. KID had vanished and was even now using the chaos caused by the unexpected descent of the mansion to make his escape. They would probably find tonight's criminal surprise waiting for them in the underground bunker, too. Shinichi sighed and raised a hand to his forehead – and then realized there was something written across his palm in black marker.

_Let's play tag. I'll give you one answer for every time you actually manage to touch me. Keep practicing, tantei-kun~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND SO WE BEGIN!
> 
> Welcome back, my ducks :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but have you considered, I dunno, standing around on rooftops shirtless?" Duo asked Shinichi.

They were gathered at Quatre's mansion on the Persian Gulf. It was blisteringly hot outside. Indoors, ceiling fans swayed in lazy circles. Heero was seated at a large mahogany table developing a new protocol for Preventers camera systems on a laptop. Duo was lying across two chairs with his head in Heero's lap and his arms dangling to the floor in an excellent impression of someone who is melting, despite the fact that the temperature indoors was perfectly reasonable. He'd started out helping Heero on whatever project it was but had sunk lower and lower until he'd become completely horizontal and had more-or-less congealed into his current position. Wufei, on the other hand, was still helping, looking over Heero's shoulder and pointing out places the program might clash with existing security.

Shinichi sat across the table from them, forehead pressed into the wood as he'd explained the problems he was having with Kaito, and Kaito's proposed game of tag. Trowa was reading in an armchair nearby, long legs hooked over the arm. Quatre had been looking out the large bay windows at the Gulf while playing violin, but he'd lowered the instrument to ponder what Shinichi had just told them.

This hadn't actually been meant to be a strategy meeting so much as a vacation. Thanks to a certain incident a few years back involving a member of a radical hate group, the lion enclosure of a local zoo, and a strategic application of catnip, Wufei was now legally required to use some of his vacation time each year. Quatre usually took the opportunity to get everyone together "away from it all." Relena and Dorothy were around somewhere, too, probably attempting to sneak in a teleconference with world leaders while Quatre wasn't around to give them disapproving looks about working while on vacation.

Trowa raised his eyebrows at Duo's comment. "What… exactly… would that accomplish?" he asked, closing his book slowly.

"Oh come on. Guy obviously has a hard time keeping his hands to himself as it is. Stick his scantily clad boyfriend on a rooftop in plain view…"

"I think the rules said Shinichi has to be the one who does the touching," Quatre said thoughtfully.

"Okay, if you can't figure out how to get one touch in when your boyfriend is all over you, I can not help you," Duo said.

Shinichi thunked his head against the table. "Does he still count as my boyfriend if he only communicates with me via cryptic messages and makes me chase him all over the planet?" he asked.

"Pretty sure that's like, third base for you guys," Duo said. "At least he hasn't run off to space yet!"

"Not helping, Duo," Trowa commented as Shinichi thunked his head against the table again with a loud groan.

"Actually, he might be on to something," Quatre said, tapping the violin bow against his lips.

"Ha!" Duo said, sitting up in triumph. Heero adjusted automatically so Duo didn't ram his head into Heero's arm as he did it. "Wait, what?"

"Bringing Kaito to Shinichi instead of chasing him around. Issue a challenge. I think I remember reading that that used to happen a lot back in the twenty-first century, right?"

Shinichi nodded cautiously. "Yes, but that was back when he was still a jewel thief. If this was then, we'd find some big, rare jewel and challenge him to steal it. Now he exposes criminals – that _he_ created. It's not like we can find one and dangle them in front of him. What would be the point?"

"Doesn't matter," Relena said briskly, walking into the room with her eyes on her phone. Large pink sunglasses were shoved up into her hair and her flip-flops flapped against the marble floor. "You'll have another shot at him soon enough. Quatre, put on the news, will you?"

Quatre complied, using a remote to call a large flatscreen down from the ceiling. He turned it to an international news channel where a couple of reporters were discussing a KID notice that had just arrived in Chicago. Shinichi sat up, immediately focused. Apparently it was scheduled for next week during a production of _Carmen_ at the Civic Opera House.

"Brussels was just last week," Wufei commented. "That's a fast turn-around."

"It's a fake notice," Shinichi said. The news program was showing an image of the note and it was definitely off. The language didn't sound anything like KID and the doodle, while technically correct, had obviously been drawn very carefully instead of with KID's usual quick, confident lines. "Whoever it is is probably trying to discredit someone, and is using KID's well-known penchant for unveiling high-profile criminals to do it."

"Then… KID won't actually be there?" Relena asked.

"Oh, no," Shinichi said. "He'll be there."

 

The night indicated in the false notice turned out to be clear and crisp. Shinichi was waiting on the roof of the opera house facing the Chicago River. The police didn't mind him being there – the Preventers had vouched for him and by now he was a familiar face at KID events. Plus, he had Quatre Raberba Winner backing him up.

Wufei had flat-out refused to come anywhere near the operation, citing jurisdiction issues, and while the others had all offered, Shinichi had turned them down. The situation with KID was delicate. He wanted as much control as possible. Quatre accepted that, but said that the least he could do was make sure Shinichi had easy access to the heist and minimal police interference. It would just take a phone call. Surely Shinichi would allow that?

He had, and that was why he now had the very top of the opera house completely to himself. There was a soft _woosh_ and the tap of a shoe hitting the roof that Shinichi knew he would never have heard if he hadn't been meant to. He turned to see KID standing a few yards away, hands in his pockets and face shadowed. He wasn't wearing white – not yet, not with the crowds gathered around the building at street level and at the windows of surrounding buildings with a view of the opera house.

"I hope you don't think you're going to catch me just by hanging around on rooftops," KID commented.

"You're so sure I'm here for you. For your information, I'm here to catch the joker who thinks he can impersonate you. You're welcome to help."

KID smiled warmly at him. "I knew you would know that wasn't me."

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Shinichi frowned, because _he_ would. He would have it any way that didn't end with him and KID facing off with a gulf of centuries between them. With murder between them. Worse, he knew now that he _could_ have that – in some universe.

"KID—" he started, intending to say as much. But KID was already gone, and the heist was on.

 

Luckily, the copycat's heist skills were about as good as his forgery skills. He turned out to be a disgruntled VP determined to get his CEO out of the way so he could move up in the company. His plan involved some clumsy framing predicated on the assumption that no one would look too closely at someone KID called a criminal at this point, since he was always right.

Unluckily, the guy had hired professional backup. Shinichi was chasing her down while KID dealt with the main culprit. She was fast, but not KID fast. He was gaining on her in a hallway closed to the public when she took a hard right through a door that lead to the wings off stage right.

As soon as Shinichi realized that, he altered course. The professional darted off amongst the flats and set pieces backstage but Shinichi ran right out of the wings and downstage – to where KID had just finished tying up the copycat.

"KID, down!" Shinichi yelled, leaping into a flying tackle a moment before he heard the gunshot. KID was already dropping when Shinichi hit him, squashing him flat on his stomach against the boards. The copycat let out a frightened yell and fell over, wiggling in his ropes. The bullet sailed harmlessly past, though Shinichi could swear he felt the air move across his back.

No time to worry about that. He was up and zig-zagging back to where he knew the shooter must be. Now that KID knew about the threat, he could handle himself.

Shinichi had to hand it to the woman – she was one dedicated professional to risk losing her escape to carry out her job. Or maybe she was just worried she wouldn't get paid if her employer ended up arrested. Either way, Shinichi caught up with her minutes later, dodging two more bullets by weaving in and out of curtains and scenery before finally dropping her from a distance with a well-placed dart.

When he hauled her on-stage to leave her with the copycat, the police were already flooding the room (having extricated themselves from various red herrings and traps) and booking the culprit. Shinichi handed over the hitwoman with relief, gave his statement, and then headed upward once more.

This time he didn't go all the way to the roof. The Civic Opera House was shaped like a giant armchair, with a lovely open-air observation deck right where the seat would be. Shinichi sat on the very edge of it, legs dangling out into the air, and waited.

The crowds slowly trickled away. Red and blue lights whirled off into the distance. The city got quieter – though of course, it was never really silent.

"Here to collect?" KID asked from behind him.

"Fair's fair," Shinichi said, getting to his feet. "I did manage to touch you." He stood, moving away from the ledge before turning to face KID.

"And a very appreciated touch it was," KID said with a little bow. "So?"

There were a thousand more important questions. More important things to say. But those were important to the multiverse, to strangers who wore his face throughout a million different dimensions. Shinichi found that, faced with Kaito standing right here in front of him and all those other dimensions so distant, he could only ask the question that was important to _him_.

"When this is all over," he said. "When you've finished exposing all these hidden bits of the Clubs… will you turn yourself in?"

Confusion flashed over KID's face. "Are you joking?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"KID. Kaito," Shinichi said, trying to keep the pleading out of his voice. "You ran all the organized crime in the world for years. People died. You're a criminal."

"I've always been a criminal," KID said. His voice had edges to it.

"Not like this. Besides, you're doing it all completely alone. You took care of me for centuries, kept your secret, _alone_. You need to deal with this. You need help."

KID was shaking his head. "The answer to your question is _no_ , then. A waste of a question, too," KID said, scathing. He turned on his heel, cape flaring out behind him.

"Fine," Shinichi bit out. "But you should know – damn it, KID!" he shouted as KID disappeared abruptly. " _It didn't have to be like this!_ "

The arms of the opera house threw his words back at him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that went well! What a cheerful story.


	3. Interlude 1

**_Interlude: The Clock Tower, Centuries Ago_ **

The sun was setting and Nakamori Aoko's father was late. That was okay. He was busy with work. He was a police officer, so his job was very important. She was sitting on a bench staring up at the enormous clock tower and feeling very grown-up to be here on her own, but also a little lonely in this new, unfamiliar city.

That was when she heard a sad noise. Barely a sniffle. She looked around and saw that it had come from a little blonde boy who looked like he was her age. He was there alone, too, and obviously trying to be brave about it, but he looked miserable. She hopped off the bench and marched over to him.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked with a bright smile. The boy looked startled, but smiled back at her hesitantly.

"Yes," he said, in English.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, recognizing that word. But she didn't know much else. Just her numbers up to ten, hello, goodbye, I'm sorry, and help. "Hello," she said carefully in English. The boy brightened and let out a torrent of English that had her widening her eyes.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, that's all I know," she said in Japanese. The boy's smile dimmed a little, but he shook his head.

"It is okay," he said. His Japanese wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. "I speak Japanese."

"That's amazing!" Aoko said. "My name's Nakamori Aoko. I just moved here today and I'm supposed to meet my dad, but he's so busy with work that he's late."

The boy's eyes widened. "Me too. I am Saguru Hakuba. My father is the police chief, and we just moved here."

"My dad's an inspector!" Aoko exclaimed. "I bet we'll be going to the same school, too!"

"That probably explains why they are both late, as well," Hakuba said, glancing up at the clock tower. "My father was supposed to arrive at 5:30, and it is now 5:35."

Aoko giggled. "Actually that old clock tower is five minutes fast. So your dad's not late – yet. You should get a watch of your own."

Hakuba glared at the clock as though it had done him a personal injury. "I definitely should," he said seriously, which made Aoko laugh again.

 

Across the square, a little boy named Kuroba Kaito frowned. He had been about to approach the lonely-looking girl, but it looked like she had a friend after all. Oh, well. He'd find something else to do.

He turned – and ran smack into another girl his age, hard enough that he suddenly found himself sitting on the pavement.

"Ow," he said, looking up cautiously. The girl looked down at him, surprised. She had hair of such a dark red it looked almost black. Kaito smiled from the ground and said "I'm Kuroba Kaito! Nice to meet you!" and offered her a rose from nowhere.

The girl's eyes widened in delight and she offered her hand to help him to his feet. "I'm Koizumi Akako. Do you know _magic_?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have some readers who aren't familiar with this scene from Magic Kaito. Let's just say that, in canon, it goes a little differently: Kaito and Aoko meet and begin a lifelong friendship that does NOT result in KID becoming a slightly mad immortal murderer (you know, probably). But hey, where's the fun in that?
> 
> This is one of two interludes that will be included in this fic, and because it's so short you get it as an extra update! And also because I'm going to make you wait until Sunday for the normal weekend update. *ducks*


	4. Chapter 4

The problem with Birmingham, as any resident of England's West Midlands would be happy to tell you, was the weather. Sometimes you got all the seasons in the space of a few hours. Sometimes you got snow in April. Sometimes you got gale-force winds and torrents of sleeting rain out of nowhere on the night of your heist.

KID leaned into the wind, redoubling his efforts to control the glider. The weather really had gone from slightly cloudy to torrential downpour in seconds, and he had already been in the air when it hit. Otherwise he would never have even attempted deploying the glider. He could barely see, let alone steer.

He _had_ managed to get his target, though: a highly skilled counterfeiter who worked by day in the Pen Museum in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter and spent her evenings making flawless replicas of historic documents for nefarious purposes. Shinichi hadn't been able to touch him, just as he hadn't on the past three heists, a fact that left KID masochistically satisfied. It had been a quick strike and the counterfeiter would already be on her way to prison if it weren't for this weather. No one was going anywhere in this – or at least, they _shouldn't_ be.

KID let out a strangled gasp as a brick wall suddenly loomed in front of him. He pulled the glider up sharply, and while he avoided a full-on collision he could not completely evade the ledge that ringed the roof of the building. His left shoulder hit it, hard, and there was an ominous creak and groan from the glider before it crumpled back into a cape. KID rolled off the rest of his momentum and came to a halt crouched on one knee, the arm that had hit the ledge hanging at his side. He brought up the opposite hand and gingerly prodded the injured shoulder. It hurt – it hurt a _lot_ – but it didn't seem to be dislocated or bleeding. He flexed it carefully and pins and needles raced down the arm along with a fresh burst of pain, but he could move it if he had to.

He got to his feet, trying to look around for a way into the building, but the rain and wind made it almost impossible to see. If he hadn't been blown too far off course, he was probably on the roof of one of the historic twenty-third century factory facades (now vacant office space) near the museum. Which meant there should be an access door somewhere up here. Even if he couldn't see more than two feet in front of himself, it shouldn't take too long to find.

KID put up his good arm to try to block the rain from blowing directly into his eyes and took a few soggy steps. His cape whipped out behind him, more-or-less parallel to the ground. He was going to have to remove it if he wanted to make any kind of progress, and was attempting to do so one-handed (without letting the wind snatch it completely away once it was detached) when he heard something. Something _other_ than the roaring wind and constant beating of the rain. A voice?

He shook his head. People heard voices in storms all the time. Who the hell would be wandering around on some random rooftop in this? But then someone grabbed his shoulder from behind – his injured shoulder. He whirled, knocking the hand away and ready to attack, when he realized who it was. Shinichi was standing there, barely keeping his footing in the wind and rain and looking half-drowned. He was shouting, but KID couldn't make it out and shook his head. Shinichi reached out to grab his arm – the left one, which caused KID to twist away instinctively. Shinichi froze, a brief look of hurt flitting across his dripping face before hardening into something more like anger. He gestured broadly behind himself, then gestured for KID to follow before turning and heading across the roof into the wind.

KID reached out and snatched his hand before he could get too far. Shinichi turned back, surprised, but pulled KID up to walk next to him, their arms linked and heads bowed as they struggled against the downpour to the access door Shinichi had come through.

As soon as they were inside and had shoved the door closed, KID put his back to the wall and fixed Shinichi with an incredulous stare. He was resisting the urge to cradle his left arm and to slide down the wall to have a brief nap on the floor. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked Shinichi.

"Looking out for you," Shinichi said, crossing his arms. They were on a tiny landing at the top of a narrow stairwell. The roof was metal and the walls thin. Somehow the wind and rain seemed even louder in here.

"How did you even find me?"

"Wind patterns. I knew you were using your glider, saw what direction you went off in—"

"Quatre is helping you." It wasn't a question. There was no way Shinichi had just figured out probable landing areas for a glider in a freak storm on the fly.

Shinichi shrugged. "He was. It's just me right now, though." KID gave him a skeptical look and he rolled his eyes. "You can check if you want."

He did. He whirled Shinichi around and in seconds had checked for ear pieces, wires, and anything else that he might be communicating with. He found nothing but a cell phone, turned off, but he pocketed it just in case. Shinichi didn't object.

"I ditched the earpiece once I knew I had the right roof." He was a little flushed, KID was pleased to note. He had, of course, kept his search quite professional but – well. Shinichi had always liked his… professionalism. "You're hurt," Shinichi said, dispersing KID's pleasure. "Just now, your left hand was moving a little slower than your right. A little clumsier. Are you okay?"

Leave it to Shinichi to track the movements of his hands that accurately in the space of a few seconds. KID didn't know whether to scowl or grin or kiss him.

"I'm fine. Am I under arrest?" he asked, somewhat petulant.

"What? No, don't be ridiculous."

"It seems like a valid concern since you're so convinced I'm a dangerous criminal who should be in jail. Or a psych ward."

Shinichi shook his head. "No, I mean I don't have the authority to arrest you."

KID gave a disgusted _tch_ and moved to push past Shinichi to head down the stairs, but Shinichi didn't budge.

"Hang on," he said, reaching for the spot where KID's cape was attached at the shoulders. KID let him out of habit, then blinked when he realized that that "habit" hadn't been exercised in several hundred years. He had forgotten how familiar Shinichi was with all of his equipment. How familiar he'd become over the course of those five brilliant years they'd had together before it all went to hell despite everything they'd tried to prevent it.

The sodden cape released with no trouble and Shinichi gathered it into his arms. KID felt at least twenty pounds lighter. If he ran now, Shinichi would never catch him.

"Kaito," Shinichi said quietly. "I'm not trying to get you arrested. I just… want to talk."

KID took a slow breath, careful to keep it from shuddering audibly. He might be a master criminal and history's most brilliant thief and a genius engineer and immortal, but right now he was also _cold_ and _tired_ and _hurt._ In more ways than one. "Okay," he said, giving in to the desire to trust Shinichi. "But not here. I can barely hear myself think."

Shinichi nodded and gestured to the stairs. They descended side-by-side, careful not to slip in the puddles rapidly forming from their dripping clothes. Before they got to the top floor, KID was leaning on Shinichi and shivering. It was as though, in granting himself permission to let down his guard with Shinichi he had also granted his body permission to give in to all the stress he'd been piling on it lately. Shinichi surely could not have missed this, but he said nothing.

They left the stairwell at the top floor, entering a long, carpeted hallway. Already it was warmer. They tried a door on the right and found it led into a cavernous space that took up the whole side of the building. It was probably destined to be a cubicle farm someday, but for now it was just thin, cheap carpeting and tall, narrow windows offering a view of the madness outside.

The lights flicked on automatically as both Shinichi and Kaito crossed the room, drawn to the windows despite themselves. The windows looked out over an alley feebly illuminated by orange streetlights, barely visible through the storm. They could practically see the wind: every so often it would drive an entire sheet of rain down the alley and all vision would be obscured for a few moments. It was like someone had picked up a lake and dropped it on the city.

Kaito moved away from Shinichi to put a hand on the window, hardly believing that one thin pane of glass was all that separated them from that.

"I can't believe you were out flying in that," Shinichi said. There was a sodden _whump_ as he spread out the cape on the ground to dry. Kaito had forgotten he'd been holding it. He put his back to the window and then, deciding that a quick getaway probably wasn't going to be necessary, he finally sank to the ground, exhausted.

"So talk," he said.

Shinichi fiddled with the cape unnecessarily for a few moments before sitting cross-legged facing Kaito, his back to the room. "I'm not sure where to start." He unlaced his shoes and pulled them off, followed by his socks, one after the other. Kaito raised his eyebrows at him. "What?" Shinichi said. "They're soaked and I'm not going to get any warmer leaving them on. You should probably take yours off too."

Kaito grinned and Shinichi just _knew_ he was about to say something lewd, but then he seemed to remember where he was and when he was and the grin faded into a one-armed shrug. He did pull his shoes off, though, and his jacket.

"I guess the first question is whether you still have the diamond," Shinichi said, warming his toes with his hands.

"Why? Are you going to tell me I should give it back because stealing is wrong?"

"This would go a lot easier if you would stop being so defensive," Shinichi snapped.

"It would go a lot easier if I didn't have to keep defending myself!" Kaito shot back.

Shinichi took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Okay. Can we just… agree to proceed as though there's something bigger than you and me going on here?"

Kaito turned instantly wary. "The last time that happened it was the Organization and Pandora. Is it something like that?"

"No. Not that bad. At least, I hope not." He really wanted to break it to Kaito gently, but there was no way to do that. So he just told him: about the portal that was not, in fact a portal through time; about other dimensions; about other versions of himself; about how the Gundam pilots they had met centuries ago were not the Gundam pilots they knew today. What he did not say was that all of this meant that he and Kaito had never been locked into a specific course of events, that nothing had had to happen the way it did.

But of course Kaito saw that instantly, anyway. His eyes widened infinitesimally but otherwise his face stilled completely as the implications sank in. "You must hate me," he whispered.

He caught just a glimpse of Shinichi's confusion before the power went out, dropping the room into darkness. He heard Shinichi's sharp intake of breath and blinked a few times, willing his eyes to adjust. It would seem even the streetlights outside had gone out, but eventually the eerie light of the storm provided enough differentiation in the blackness that Kaito had his bearings.

"I don't," Shinichi said, voice low. "Kaito – hang on." Shinichi inched forward, unsure in the darkness. His knuckles barked against brick and he sank to the floor on Kaito's right side so that both were sitting with their backs against the wall, shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh. Kaito drew a shuddering breath and held it, but no. It was too much.

Quicker than the storm he turned to Shinichi, grabbed the front of his shirt, twisted him away from the wall, and shoved him to the floor, straddling his hips and pressing him down with a fierce kiss. All without using his left arm.

Shinichi's gasp caught the air out of Kaito's lungs and he gave it willingly, waiting for the wild energy in him to settle, for Shinichi to shove him away. Neither happened. He broke away with a snarl, planting his right hand on Shinichi's chest to keep him down.

Shinichi stared up at Kaito, eyes wide, barely able to see him in the meager light. His instinct was to twist his hips and topple Kaito to reverse their positions, but he was too mindful of Kaito's injured arm to give in.

"I'm a thief," Kaito said hoarsely, brushing his thumb against Shinichi's lips. He was using his left arm, despite the pain. Because of the pain. "And a murderer." The fingers of his right hand clenched around Shinichi's shirt. "You _can_ hate me. It's okay. It won't change how I feel about you. You could throw me off of you right now and leave me in the storm and I wouldn't stop." He bit off a short laugh. "I'll never stop. I'm forever."

"Actually, I quite like it here," Shinichi said calmly. He left his hands flat at his sides, made no abrupt movements. "Given that the heat likely went out with the power, I'd say this is probably the right idea, anyway."

Kaito blinked. Then he let go of Shinichi's shirt and started laughing – real, true laughter, for the right reasons. He hunched forward over Shinichi, shaking with it, before finally collapsing on top of him, breathless, and then rolling off to the side to lie flat on his back. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "Sometimes I think I must be dreaming – that it isn't really over, that none of this is real, that none of it actually happened. And then you say something like that." Kaito let out a long sigh. "You ground me." He tipped his head to the side to look at Shinichi, who was propped up on his elbow next to him. "But that doesn't make it your responsibility to keep doing it," he said seriously.

"Kaito, I didn't even know you still _wanted_ …" Shinichi gestured vaguely. "This. Me, I mean. Us. The heists lately have been," he paused. "Different. Intense."

"I'm trying to make up for what I've done. And I've been trying to give you space. Everything that happened – that I made happen… I forgot, Shinichi. I told myself I was doing it for you, but after a few decades it became so easy to convince myself that what I wanted was what you wanted. I used to talk to you, while you slept. I'd imagine what you'd say. And it got further and further from the truth and I didn't even notice." Kaito pressed his hands to his face. "I didn't even notice we were in a different _universe_. So many little things I shrugged off… I thought maybe I had exaggerated the pilots' unfriendliness to us in my memories. I thought for sure that there was some way you – the _other_ you, I guess – would get thrown off the scent toward the end there, because I _knew_ I was supposed to have at least another day before you – he –  found me. But I didn't want to see it. I just wanted to see you again."

"Kaito, stop," Shinichi said, sitting up. He felt around in the dark for a moment before finding Kaito's hand and picking it up. It was very cold; he hadn't been wrong about the heat. He rubbed Kaito's fingers gently, not really thinking about what he was doing. "We have problems. I'm not denying that. We've got… some pretty unique things to work on. But I don't want space. I've been through a lot, too. I skipped several centuries and woke up surrounded by people I don't know even though I did know people who looked just like them. You are literally the only one who knows where I'm coming from. I need you as much as you need me."

Kaito gave his hand a gentle squeeze in acknowledgement. "Okay," he whispered. "Where do we start?"

"I'd say this is a pretty good start," Shinichi said. "But next – do you still have the Mischief's Malice?"

Kaito snorted. "That's not what it's called anymore."

"And someday I expect you to tell me that story, but for now I'll settle for making sure no one else has to live it."

Kaito was quiet for a moment, then sat up. "You want to rebuild the portal."

Shinichi nodded. "To warn our… other selves."

"Tricky," Kaito said. He shivered a little, but it was from cold, not emotion. He could feel his left arm getting stiff and moved it gingerly. Even in the dark, Shinichi didn't miss the motion.

"Are you okay?"

"Cold," Kaito said. "Tired."

"I could have any number of ace pilots here within half an hour," Shinichi said. Kaito cast a skeptical eye at the typhoon still beating against the building. Shinichi shrugged. "They'd come."

"Okay," Kaito said, though he was definitely planning on vanishing as soon as a rescue arrived for Shinichi. "Here." He returned Shinichi's phone to him.

Shinichi turned it on, then frowned at the screen. "No reception," he said. "At least some problems are familiar here."

"Ah, well, who needs 'em. Let's just move around a little, figure out this portal thing."

They did, the both of them. They paced side by side and planned. Shinichi made suggestions, and Kaito filled in the gaps in his knowledge of trade agreements, technology, and law so that he'd know what was feasible and what wasn't.

Eventually they stopped pacing and settled in a corner, huddled up against each other. Planning turned to murmurs as heads lolled and the temperature dropped.

"There's just no way to do this legally," Kaito said finally. "Not without—"

"Preventers cooperation," Shinichi finished. "We can do that," he said through a yawn.

" _You_ can do that," Kaito corrected. " _I'm_ a wanted murderer."

Shinichi didn't have anything to say to that. In a strange way, Kaito appreciated that. The fact that Shinichi never denied what he'd done, and yet was still here, in his arms (well, arm) – that gave Kaito hope. Maybe he wasn't irredeemable. Maybe somewhere, in some universe, he had a chance, if he had Shinichi.

Of course, he also had a sneaking suspicion that Shinichi's lack of response meant that he still wanted Kaito to turn himself in, but didn't want to fight about it just now. Kaito sighed and looked down at Shinichi, realizing that the detective had rested his head against his shoulder, his body relaxed. He was asleep. Outside, the storm was finally fading, too, the sound and fury turning slowly to a gentle hiss of rain. Kaito considered the top of Shinichi's head for a few minutes longer, then slipped Shinichi's phone out of his limp hand and activated the distress beacon he knew Quatre included on any phone his friends used. He left a soft kiss atop Shinichi's hair, replaced the phone in Shinichi's hand, and faded away with the storm. He would work this out himself.

 

Shinichi woke up when someone touched his shoulder. His eyes flew open and he sat up quickly, the cape he'd been huddled under sliding to the ground. He was still at the old factory in Birmingham and Quatre was looking at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Quatre asked. "We would have come sooner, but we couldn't track your phone in the storm."

"Fine," Shinichi said, even though he was stiff from the cold and from sleeping on the floor. It was still dark outside as far as he could see, and the cape was still slightly damp, so it couldn't have been that long… "Kaito?"

Quatre shook his head. "We didn't see him. I assume he was here with you, though," he said, with a look at the cape pooled in Shinichi's lap. Shinichi ran a hand over the thick fabric.

"Yeah. He was hurt. We— talked." He couldn't decide whether it was a good sign or a bad one that Kaito had left the cape. Quatre smiled softly and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on. Trowa's waiting with the shuttle. Warm up, get some sleep, and we'll figure it out in the morning."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is my favorite chapter :)


	5. Interlude 2

**_Interlude: Magician's Malice_ **

 

_CE 2020_

Kaito had finally found it. Pandora. For sure this time, without a doubt. He checked and double checked his sources, made sure his research was completely untraceable, and acted completely normal around Shinichi. Kaito knew what was _supposed_ to happen to them. He had seen the future. But as far as he was concerned, if Shinichi wasn't there, that future _couldn't_ happen. He wouldn't have to send Shinichi into a coma, and they wouldn't have to face five angry Gundam pilots again. He wouldn't have to abduct the strongest of them and use questionable science developed by his future self to wake up his boyfriend.

In fact, it would be better if _no one_ knew what he was doing – not Shinichi, and not whoever was going to shoot him. So Kaito began laying a diversion.

He used Mischief's Malice. It was the one jewel the Organization had never quite been able to figure out. The Organization had stolen it from Suzuki Jirokichi under pretense of a KID heist and were studying it for some odd frequencies it was emitting when KID and Shinichi – Conan at the time – had stolen it right back. But before they could return it to the old man, two young men had appeared out of nowhere, one unconscious, the other ready to fight anyone who got close to his friend.

What with one thing and another, Kaito, Haibara, and Conan figured they were Organization, which had led to a rather unfortunate chain of events (though they had also managed to cure Shinichi). The diamond itself they eventually returned to Suzuki, hoping that might prompt the Organization to show themselves again. But the strange readings were gone, and apparently the Organization wasn't interested anymore.

Well, he'd make them interested. It had been five years since those events, but he knew similar activity would get their attention. He talked to Akako, who agreed to use her magic to duplicate the odd resonance around the diamond without really knowing why. That was what best friends were for. And then he stole the diamond, being as showy as ever. As the newspapers speculated about why KID would steal this particular unimpressive diamond _again_ , he knew the Organization would hear about it.

He couldn't hide that from Shinichi, of course. In fact, the two of them planned it together: a trap for the Organization, a ruse to lure them out. KID hid the diamond in a fairly obvious location and pretended not to notice the shadowy figures following him. Shinichi was lying in wait with an entire squadron of police officers. He would be fine. KID finished his part and then rushed off to snatch the _real_ Pandora.

He had underestimated the Organization's abilities. They sent operatives after the decoy, yes, but one of them was actually able to tail KID to his true destination. As KID held up the massive gem and it glowed red in the moonlight, he heard the unmistakable crack of a gunshot. Then he was falling to the ground. But there was no pain. Why…

Shinichi. Shinichi had tackled him to the ground.

"You idiot!" Kaito exclaimed, going light-headed from the sudden adrenaline spike. "What are you doing here?"

"Heh. Thought you could hide this… from me?" Shinichi gasped out. "I know what year it is." He coughed, and blood flecked Kaito's white suit. "Figured you might need me. And you did."

"Shinichi… Shinichi, this is… it's happening." A cavern of centuries yawned in front of Kaito. He shuddered. "Are you ready?"

Shinichi raised a hand feebly, meaning to touch Kaito's cheek, but didn't quite make it. His strength ran out and his hand flopped to the floor. His pulse was thready, his chest failing to rise or fall. Kaito's brain whited out in panic and he fumbled for the jewel. How was this supposed to work? Red glow, tears… yes, yes the jewel actually was secreting some… something. He pressed it to Shinichi's lips and prayed. It all felt like it was happening to someone else.

"Huh. I thought I got both of you," a voice said, too near for comfort. Kaito's head jerked up. The sniper, the one with the long hair known as Gin. He leveled his gun at Kaito. "Ah well. Easy enough clean-up."

Kaito shot him with the card gun before he could squeeze the trigger. The metal card hit his hand and the shot went wild. Kaito was on him with a feral growl before the echo faded, whipping him across the face with the heavy card gun, then grabbing the rifle and jamming the butt of it backward into Gin's nose for good measure. The man went down hard, unconscious.

Kaito whirled away from him without another thought, dashing back to Shinichi's side. Had Pandora worked? Would he be… his eyes were fluttering.

"Kaito," Shinichi breathed. Then he smiled softly. "See you in the morning." His eyes drifted closed and Kaito pawed frantically at his shirt, seeking out the wound. There was so much blood, and Shinichi wasn't moving. He used his cape to wipe it away and almost laughed in relief. There was a lot of blood, yes, but it was smeared over a rapidly closing wound. He'd done it. Shinichi was saved. Or, he would be.

Pandora was lying on the floor where he'd dropped it to attack Gin. There was still a tiny bead of moisture glistening on it, and another forming. Bracing himself, he pressed it to his own mouth, swallowed, and drew a deep breath. Then he picked up Gin's gun and shot Pandora into a million tiny pieces.

He left Gin on the floor in handcuffs, called the police, and took Shinichi back to one of his bolt holes. He had some planning to do.

 

Kudo Shinichi was last seen chasing after Kaito KID not long after the thief stole an insignificant diamond for what everyone thought was the second time. That same evening, Kaito KID returned the diamond. He did not return the detective.

A Suzuki security guard swore he saw the magician fleeing by hang-glider. He swore his white suit and cape had been covered in blood. A massive search was undertaken for the missing detective, but no trace of him was ever found. Suzuki Jirokichi redoubled his efforts to find KID, convinced some harm had befallen Shinichi in his attempt to catch the thief. But KID no longer responded to challenges. He no longer staged heists. He vanished as thoroughly as Kudo Shinichi. Most people decided that meant he was guilty.

Jirokichi retired from treasure hunting. He almost threw away his entire collection of KID traps and targets, but his niece stepped in and preserved it all, curating an impressive collection that would one day be museum-worthy. Determined not to forget Kaito KID's betrayal, Jirokichi contributed only one thing to this collection: he renamed the unassuming little diamond that had caused so much trouble. He called it Magician's Malice, and left the mystery of what had become of Kaito KID for future generations to decipher.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Another short interlude for you... regular-length chapter over the weekend as usual. Just two more to go!


	6. Chapter 6

_AC 199_

The Pen Museum heist was the last time anyone saw Kaito KID for a long time. His fan base went mad with speculation. False sightings of KID cropped up all over Earth and space – always debunked – and conspiracy theories circulated frantically: he had been killed by a target; he had brought all of his targets to justice and had no reason to continue; he was really an android who had gone rogue from the mad scientists who'd created him; he was a mysterious sixth Gundam pilot who'd operated in stealth and had been recalled by the government at the end of the war until they needed him again; he had been captured by the Preventers and was being held in secret; he was working _with_ the Preventers in secret.

This last one was closest to the truth. Rather than setting up elaborate stings, Kaito was now simply dropping evidence on Shinichi's doorstep and letting him handle it. It was depressing. And boring. Shinichi had taken to scouring the evidence for evidence of _KID_ (there never was any) and then just forwarding the packets on to the appropriate law enforcement agency and getting on with his search.

He of course questioned anyone who ended up being proved part of the Clubs, especially the two scientists who had been actively monitoring Heero when they'd been discovered by the Gundam pilots and the other Shinichi. At first they'd been singularly unhelpful, full of hope that this was all part of "the Master's" elaborate plan (and oh boy, was Shinichi ever going to have a word with Kaito about that title). Gradually they realized he wasn't coming for them, and as more and more of their colleagues were arrested, they became bitter and much more communicative, eventually sharing everything they knew.

Which wasn't much. Mayoko Ikehara had worked most closely with Kaito, and he had taught her some basic elements of disguise so that she could get a job at the Green Leaf Café and later pose as a bartender at the Blue Rocket. He never told her much, though. She had been a struggling biochemist when he'd found her, and had been content to work for him for a sufficient salary during the war. When prediction after prediction of his came true, she became downright zealous about her work. She'd been only too happy to murder some random foreman in the furtherance of his cause.

Shinichi had left that particular interview feeling rather ill. He knew Kaito was trying to atone for everything he'd done now, knew Kaito was struggling to come to terms with centuries of isolation and hyperfocus on one mission that was now complete. He wanted very badly to just give him a free pass and knew he could convince the pilots, Relena, anyone who mattered that the extenuating circumstances merited lenience. But it wouldn't be _right_.

There had to be some way to serve justice without completely destroying Kaito or their relationship. As it was, though, turning him in to the police or the Preventers and consigning him to a cell for a lifetime would probably only drive him _more_ mad. And then he'd escape and they'd be worse off than they were right now.

 

Finally, after months of Kaito's absence and no evidence that he was ever planning to show his face again, Shinichi decided to just get on with it. He and the pilots worked on rebuilding the portal as best they could. They had broken down the original and destroyed any custom parts after sending the other Kaito and Shinichi back home, so they had to start from scratch. And they had completely scrubbed the programming that had made it work; there was no trace of it left anywhere. And they didn't have the diamond.

But between the five of them, the pilots were pretty brilliant engineers who had all helped repair the portal before, and Shinichi had helped with another version of it in another universe, so they could at least get the hardware started. The Preventers was one of the only agencies authorized to place a large order of gundanium and they did so, even though it required a lot of paperwork and good faith on Lady Une's part that this project would be kept top secret. The gundanium purchases were spread out in small chunks folded into other projects and they started building in the basement of an unused Preventers facility on the outskirts of Colchester, England: an unglamorous place that wouldn't attract any press and where no one was likely to notice five war heroes and one detective quietly taking up residence.

 

After several weeks of sharing living quarters, of Heero covertly rearranging the kitchen in the middle of the night so he could reach everything, of Duo using all the hot water because it took _forever_ to wash his hair, of Trowa being the only one allowed to do the grocery shopping because the others somehow always managed to be astonishingly un-subtle, of Quatre eerily answering peoples' thoughts before they voiced them, of Wufei refusing to give up on teaching Shinichi basic self-defense even when he proved hopelessly disinterested in unarmed combat, they had gone as far as they could with the portal.

"So… what now?" Duo asked, sitting on a bank of inert consoles and staring at the empty portal.

"Does anyone remember _anything_ about the programming?" Shinichi asked without much hope.

"I was sort of hooked into it when I connected to Zero—" Quatre began.

"NO," five voices interrupted.

"I don't think the Zero system would be particularly helpful in this case," Trowa said gently.

"All right," Quatre said, putting his hands up. "It did give me sort of a basic understanding of how the portal worked, but… it's a little fuzzy," he continued. "I do know that we don't want to try it and get it _wrong_."

"Agreed," Wufei said with a frown. "This might be why no other versions of yourself have warned you about what happened," he told Shinichi. "We can't be the only ones to have figured it out, but if no one is able to rebuild the portal…"

"Kaito's not that far gone," Shinichi said stubbornly. "He'll help us. We just have to find him. And convince him he's safe."

"Is he?" Heero asked, startling everyone. He had been habitually quiet all day, but now he fixed Wufei with a piercing stare. "What would you do if he showed up to help? Or told Shinichi where to find him?"

Wufei had the grace to look uncomfortable, but he still answered with typical honesty. "He's dangerous," he said. Shinichi scowled, but Wufei continued before he could interrupt. "But I'm willing to prioritize the fate of thousands of versions of us across the multiverse. He does eventually need to come to terms with his crimes, and the Preventers are best equipped to handle that – especially since we could take into account his helping us with this." He pointed at the unfinished portal. "If he decides to. But I'm not going to slap him in cuffs the moment I lay eyes on him, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not exactly a ringing endorsement," Shinichi said critically.

"It is from Wufei," Quatre pointed out. "It's a moot point anyway, if we can't find him. Let's not argue about it."

"Fine. I need some air," Shinichi said, exiting the lab where they were working. Behind him, the pilots exchanged looks.

"He's too close to the situation," Wufei grumbled. "He's not thinking clearly."

"No, he is," Quatre said. "That's the problem. He knows we have to do _something_ about Kaito, but he doesn't like any of his options."

"What options?" Duo asked, kicking his feet. One of his heels banged sharply against the metal of the console he was sitting on and Heero put his hand on Duo's knee to stop him. Duo huffed, annoyed. "Arrest his boyfriend or compromise his morals. Pretty shitty choice."

"Not if we make it for him," Wufei said, crossing his arms. "Who says he gets a say in whether the Kaito KID is arrested? He can't angst about it if he's not involved."

"Do you really think we'd ever catch KID without him?" Quatre asked, which only made Wufei scowl harder.

"What would Relena do?" Heero asked. They all got quiet. If anyone knew about tough choices, it was a woman who stuck to ideals of total pacifism during a war involving the entire world and a small chunk of outer space.

"She wouldn't abandon her principles," Quatre said.

"But she'd also conveniently not notice the small army forming in her name in case pacifism failed," Duo said. Then he grinned. "Huh. You're right," he said to Heero. "Shinichi should talk to her. I bet she'll see a way out of this mess, or at least make him feel better about whatever he needs to do."

"Need I remind you that the Vice Foreign Minister does not get input in the sentencing of criminals?" Wufei said harshly. Everyone there gave him a pitying look.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy," Duo said.

"Dammit, Maxwell—" Wufei said, starting toward Duo, who slid off the console to meet him.

"You wanna go, 'Fei?"

"Guys, stop," Quatre said firmly. "No fighting in the portal room. Take it outside." Both looked at him in surprise. Wufei threw his hands in the air and stalked out. Duo shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered after him, Heero trailing behind, but the tension had already diffused. No one would be fighting today, at least not seriously, but they might hit the room Wufei had fitted out with a few mats and a punching bag for a sparring session. Trowa cocked his head at Quatre.

"Take it outside?" he asked. Normally Quatre would stop their fighting entirely with a few well-placed words, not redirect it.

"We're all tense. They need to burn off some energy. Heero won't let Wufei hurt Duo and I'm pretty sure Duo can't hurt Wufei, so it's best to just let them go." He sighed and Trowa moved behind him, putting his hands on Quatre's shoulders. Quatre leaned back against him. "I'm worried."

"About?"

"Everyone. However Shinichi decides to handle this situation, Kaito's actions hurt all of us to some degree. We all have an emotional stake in the outcome, even if some of us don't realize it."

"Mm." Trowa folded his arms across Quatre's chest and pulled him tighter against him. "What was that about needing to burn off some energy?" He kissed the back of Quatre's ear and Quatre shivered.

"No sex in the portal room, Trowa," he said, the smile evident in his voice. He grabbed one of Trowa's hands, which was wandering lower, and pulled him toward the door. "But other than that, _yes_."

 

This particular Preventers base had started life as an OZ facility. A few interconnecting concrete blocks of buildings centered around a stone-paved courtyard: classically defensible (even if that didn't mean much in terms of modern warfare). But behind the complex was a dirt path leading to a little pond inhabited by a few mild-mannered ducks and a sprinkling of Eurasian coots. Shinichi didn't know whether OZ had added the pond for aesthetic reasons, or if it had already been there when OZ built the base, or if it had some other purpose – for all he knew there was a mobile suit launch bay underneath it – but at the moment it was just a pond, and he was just a guy staring at a bunch of coots and thinking about masks.

It was early yet, but the sun was already going down. The darker it got, the more the coots squawked and cackled at each other until a few bolted across the water to launch themselves into awkward flight. Apparently the rest thought this was a great idea because soon all of them were speeding off in the same direction, flapping across the path and off into the unknown.

Shinichi turned to watch them go, and when the flock thinned he saw someone walking up the path toward him. He was not coming from the direction of the base. As the last wings cleared the way, Shinichi immediately recognized who it was.

"K—" He stopped himself before he could shout Kaito's name – either of them – certain that Kaito did not want his presence advertised. He was dressed in street clothes; jeans and a white jacket, with a baseball cap pulled over his eyes. Habit, that. He didn't really have a secret identity to protect in this century. He was just KID.

Shinichi turned back to the pond and waited for Kaito to come to a stop at his side.

"Hey," Shinichi said, resisting the urge to fling himself at him.

"Hey."

"Are you okay? Haven't seen you in a while."

"Not for lack of trying," Kaito observed.

Shinichi shrugged. "Last time I saw you, you were injured and vanished into a storm. You can't blame me for wanting to see if you were all right," he said.

"I don't," Kaito reassured him. "I only left about half an hour before Quatre came for you. The storm was already gone."

"You could have woken me."

"Well, last time I tried to wake you up I ended up tearing a hole between dimensions, kidnapping a Gundam pilot, and murdering two people so… I thought maybe it was best to just let you sleep." Kaito's tone was trying for light-hearted. It missed and landed in bitter.

"You left your cape," Shinichi said.

"I didn't think I'd be needing it."

"I thought maybe that's what you were here for," Shinichi said, ignoring the ominousness of Kaito's statement.

"No. If I wanted it back I'd just steal it from your quarters in this glorified parking garage."

Shinichi raised his eyebrows at Kaito. "You've been watching me."

"Of course. That's how I know what you're trying to do here. Well, that and a few materials purchases Lady Une was trying to be inconspicuous about. Don't worry, I only found you because I knew what to look for."

"You could have just called. I'd've told you exactly where we were. Or gone to meet you somewhere."

Kaito laughed. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, if I'm going to help you guys with the portal, this is where we need to be."

Shinichi's eyes widened. "You're going to help? That's— are you sure?"

"Yeah," Kaito said, scuffing the dirt with his toe. "I thought about it a lot. I know… they'll probably want to arrest me. I won't put up a fight. I still… I still don't think I did the wrong thing. But, I think the me you fell in love with would think so. And I miss being that guy."

Shinichi reached out, put his hand on Kaito's arm, then slid it all the way down to Kaito's hand, lacing their fingers together. "You don't have to," Shinichi said. "You could just tell me what to do."

Kaito drew in a shaky breath. His fingers tightened on Shinichi's. "Please don't make this any harder, tantei-kun," he said. Shinichi nodded, raised Kaito's hand to his lips, then led him back down the path to the base.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go!
> 
> In case anyone is wondering, Eurasian coots are super freaky-looking. They wear bone masks, have red eyes, and their feet look like skeletal hands from a distance. JUST SO YOU KNOW.


	7. Chapter 7

_CE 2016, one dimension to the left_

Shinichi was running. If he was fast enough, he'd make it to the one room where he now knew KID had bypassed security before KID had a chance to make his escape. That would force KID to take the alternate route he must have planned, leading to the roof where Hakuba was waiting as back-up. Not that he expected Hakuba to be able to stop KID out in the open, but it was the look of the thing. KID getting caught just now would be very unfortunate for their plans against the Organization, but if he did insist on continuing his heists, Shinichi would insist on chasing after him. Besides, Hakuba was a surprise – he was supposed to be in London. KID deserved to be the surprised one every once in a while.

The thought put a wicked grin on Shinichi's face as he made a hard right, cutting through an office that would take him across the building to the room in question more quickly. But his progress was stopped short as he ran headlong into someone – no, not just _someone_ …

"KID?" Shinichi asked, baffled as KID steadied him.

"Shinichi," KID said, a little breathless, "I think I've got— wait. _Shinichi_?" KID was peering at him closely.

"Of course Shinichi. What are you doing? You're supposed to be making your escape. Wait. Where…" KID's hat and monocle were missing. Shinichi took a step back, raising the anesthetic watch suspiciously.

"You're not my Shinichi," KID said with a dangerous-looking grin. "Good. I've been looking for you."

Shinichi realized it with the sudden plummeting feeling of missing a step on a staircase – like the bottom of his stomach had abruptly gone missing. "KID," he breathed. "Other-KID." He began backing away slowly, torn on whether to fire the watch. It only had one needle and at this range, KID would dodge.

KID stalked after him, matching his pace. "I need to give you a message," he said.

"I don't want to hear _anything_ you have to say," Shinichi hissed. He had nearly made it to the door, still open from when he'd burst into the room.

"You'll want to hear this," KID said, but before he could continue a flash of white dropped from the ceiling, knocking KID to the floor. Kaito stood over his other self in full KID regalia, one foot on KID's chest.

"No means no, asshole," he said, card gun aimed at KID's face. KID smirked, grabbed Kaito's ankle, and _twisted_ , sending Kaito reeling. He'd called Kaito's bluff; the card gun was loaded with a grappling hook at the moment, which could well be fatal at this range. Kaito didn't fire it and instead went sprawling – or would have, if Shinichi hadn't caught him. Kaito turned in his arms, dragging him toward the door as KID came after them.

"Split up," Kaito said. "We have to get him away from the building." Shinichi nodded and the two took off in opposite directions, not sure which of them KID would choose to follow. It was only a few moments later, though, that Shinichi realized Kaito was headed for the roof. Hakuba. Shinichi swore and changed his route, looking for a stairwell.

He found it and sprinted upward, bursting through the roof door – only to find Hakuba cuffing another Shinichi's hands behind his back. "Dammit, Hakuba, I'm _not KID_ ," the other Shinichi was saying. "If I was, I'd already be out of these cuffs."

The other Shinichi – or was it KID? Either KID? – was kneeling in front of Hakuba, scowling. When he heard the roof door slam open, Hakuba straightened but put a restraining hand on Shinichi's shoulder, keeping him down. But when he saw it was Shinichi who had run out onto the roof, he looked back down at the Shinichi he'd cuffed. A shadow of doubt crossed his face.

The Shinichi he had caught had emerged onto the roof just moments before, and Hakuba had immediately known something was off. Firstly, that Shinichi had seemed surprised to find Hakuba there on the roof, though he tried to cover it. Secondly, he was wearing a beat-up pair of old jeans, a t-shirt, and a black jacket with olive green shoulders. The Shinichi who'd just now run onto the roof was wearing slacks and a button-down shirt, which Hakuba knew he'd been wearing at the start of the heist. If this was really KID kneeling in front of him, why wouldn't he have taken more care with his costume? Or was the Shinichi who had just appeared really KID, having switched outfits with the real Shinichi to try to make him look more suspicious?

"Hakuba, that's—" Shinichi stopped mid-sentence. He was certain that wasn't _his_ Kaito being handcuffed, but not completely sure it wasn't the other KID. Even if he had been sure, what was he supposed to say to Hakuba, who was already eyeing him suspiciously?

Just then a grappling hook clattered onto the roof, slid back, and caught on the edge. KID – Shinichi wasn't sure which one, though he was wearing both the hat and the monocle – hauled himself over with catlike grace, then froze when he saw the scene in front of him.

"Oh, hell," he said under his breath. Shinichi caught the barest flash of chagrin. Kaito, then, Shinichi decided. The situation would be too easy for the other KID to twist to his advantage. He wouldn't waste the opportunity. "Welcome back from London, tantei-san," Kaito said with aplomb. "I hope you two aren't fighting over me." His eyes flicked from the handcuffed and kneeling Shinichi to the one standing near the roof door. Shinichi saw him come to the correct conclusion as to which one was _his_ Shinichi.

Hakuba looked bewildered. "Kudo-kun," he said, addressing, by chance or instinct, the right Shinichi. "What is going on?" He had not failed to note that Kaito KID was not escaping, despite the presence of open air and the hang glider on his back. Instead he was looking at all of them with a particular intense expression Hakuba had seen before: like he was trying to figure out how to get everyone out of a sticky situation safely.

"Come on," the handcuffed Shinichi said, addressing the other across the roof. "You're not seriously going to let me get arrested _here_ and _now_?"

"No one's getting arrested," said KID's voice – but it didn't come from Kaito. Shinichi started and leapt away from the door, because KID had just appeared atop the stairwell's enclosure. "At least, not at this exact moment." His eyes sparkled as he looked at the kneeling Shinichi. "Whatever have you gotten yourself into, tantei-kun?" he asked. That Shinichi rolled his eyes.

The Shinichi who actually belonged in that dimension edged closer to Hakuba, unsure of what KID might do. Kaito, though, was sick of standing around. He growled low in his throat, vanished, and reappeared behind KID. His arms came up and around, trapping KID's arms, fingers lacing behind KID's skull and applying pressure.

"KID!" the other Shinichi shouted, shooting to his feet. Hakuba's fingers dug into his jacket, though, preventing him from running to KID.

"KID?" the dimension-appropriate Shinichi asked his dimension-appropriate thief.

"Go ahead, tantei-kun," Kaito called. Shinichi raised the watch and shot KID. Other-Shinichi clenched his fists in the handcuffs, but relaxed when Kaito lowered KID carefully off the stairwell's roof and into Shinichi's arms. Shinichi laid him gently on the rooftop. Other-Shinichi made to go to him, but Hakuba was still hanging on.

"Hakuba, let me go," other-Shinichi said.

"I do not think so," Hakuba said thoughtfully, though he did give other-Shinichi a little push forward, letting him know it was okay to join the others – Hakuba simply would be walking him over with one hand on his shoulder and the other circling a wrist.

"—said he had a message," Shinichi was saying to Kaito, heads bent together as they whispered and considered the unconscious KID. Hakuba's eyebrows crawled upward.

"He wasn't trying to _hurt_ you," other-Shinichi said, glaring. Only thorough knowledge of how harmless those anesthetic darts were kept him from shouting.

Kaito snorted and Shinichi massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Kudo-kun," Hakuba said, very patiently. "Who will we be arresting this evening?"

Kaito's lip curled but Shinichi stopped whatever acid retort he'd been about to make with a glare.

"Technically, KID – this KID," he clarified, gesturing at Kaito, "is the only one who broke any laws tonight."

"And you're not arresting _me_ ," Kaito said. Hakuba's eyes flashed at the challenge, but other-Shinichi interrupted before they could get into it.

"Look, they can't keep the portal open long. We need to get back to it so they can pull us through. Let us go."

"Portal?" Hakuba echoed.

"Oh sure, like we're going to listen to Stockholm Syndrome Shinichi," Kaito retorted.

"Shinichi?" Hakuba glanced at the handcuffed person in question.

"Wait, you mean KID didn't rebuild the portal and escape here? You're not chasing him?" Shinichi asked.

"KID?" Hakuba wondered, looking at the prone, slumbering thief.

"No," other-Shinichi said. "He helped us rebuild it so we could come through and tell you – you're in an alternate dimension. It's not time travel, it's dimension hopping, and everything is avoidable." He shifted his gaze to Kaito. "So don't kill anyone, no matter what, all right?"

Hakuba opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Ha! I _told_ you," Shinichi said, turning to Kaito. Kaito's wide-eyed expression was turning into a brilliant smile.

"But that means— then I'm not— this is great!" he exclaimed. He took a step toward Shinichi, who reached for him… and then both remembered where they were and glanced simultaneously at Hakuba, one with a perfect poker face and the other with guilt written all over his expression. Hakuba just raised his eyebrows mildly at them and did not comment.

"I'm glad everyone's happy," other-Shinichi said drily. "Can you _please_ let me go now?"

"Uh, yeah… Hakuba…" Shinichi said. But before Hakuba could decide whether he was all right with that, there was a _click_ and Kaito was twirling the handcuffs around one finger. Other-Shinichi shot him a grateful look, then knelt to check on KID. Hakuba crossed his arms with a stern look at Kaito, who just stuck his tongue out at him.

"Look," Shinichi said, watching KID slowly beginning to stir. "Are you _sure_ about him?"

"As sure as you are about _him_ ," other-Shinichi said jerking a thumb at Kaito. He looked up at them. "If it helps," he said quietly, "he's turning himself in when we go back. He's handing himself over to Preventers custody."

Shinichi blinked and looked over at Kaito, who looked stunned.

Hakuba cleared his throat. "If that is the case, then it is perhaps in our best interest to make sure he really does make it back through the… ahem. Portal." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "What? I do not understand precisely what is happening, though it sounds as if these are alternate universe versions of yourselves, whom you have met before. I am sure I do not have that entirely correct, but you can fill me in along the way."

Other-Shinichi smirked while helping a groggy, barely-conscious KID to his feet, draping one arm across his shoulders. Shinichi laughed and Kaito got a sinking feeling in his stomach as Shinichi fell into step beside Hakuba.

"So what do you know about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics?"

 

*

 

_AC 199_

KID and Shinichi stumbled only slightly returning through the portal. Shinichi was pulled along by Trowa, KID by Quatre. Wufei, Heero, and Duo monitored the portal's power intake and cut it off as soon as Kaito and Shinichi were through. No point in alarming the entire city of Colchester with a brownout.

"Well?" Quatre asked.

Shinichi nodded. "They got the message. It's going to be okay – at least for them. And they're going to set up a sort of… time capsule. Something that will make it into their version of your hands after the war since they don't plan on ending up immortal. You – or they – shouldn't need it, but just in case any other dimensional travelers stumble through, they'll know what's going on." He sighed, feeling a great weight lift from his shoulders. It was done. Even if everything did go wrong and that Shinichi ended up immortal and comatose with that Kaito watching over him, that Kaito would know that he could just _ask_ for help. No murdering required.

His relief was short-lived, though. There was the next hurdle to clear. Kaito was looking at Wufei with an expression so carefully neutral that Shinichi knew he must be very nervous.

"Well, I guess that's it then," Kaito said, his voice falsely bright. "I've never been arrested before. How does this work?"

Wufei's jaw clenched. "Normally, I'd read you your rights, and then we'd take you into custody awaiting trial. In your case… we skip straight to custody and a closed tribunal. We can't exactly have a public trial since you don't technically exist and we can't let the details of the case get out. Since you're not a citizen of any current nation… well, in reality you have no rights."

"But that doesn't mean you'll be treated poorly," Quatre interrupted, nudging Wufei with his elbow.

"Of _course_ not," Wufei said, offended. "I just don't want him under any illusions."

"And I'll be at the tribunal," Shinichi said, taking Kaito's hand.

"Technically only Preventers personnel can attend," Wufei said. Quatre cleared his throat and Wufei rolled his eyes. "And of course in this case that includes freelancers and random detectives who _also_ technically do not exist."

Shinichi squeezed Kaito's hand. Kaito squeezed back. "All right. Let's go."

 

Kaito's tribunal was made up of Lady Une, Wufei, and Sally Po because those were the only Preventers personnel Lady Une trusted with the secret of the portal. Quatre, Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Shinichi were all in attendance, of course. It was a surprisingly casual affair. After all, the person on trial wasn't denying any of his crimes, and all the evidence had already been logged in Wufei's reports.

Kaito sat through it all behind an impassive mask. He did not look at Shinichi at any time, and spoke only when asked a direct question. He was terse and serious, nothing of the trickster evident. Shinichi was worried. He'd been relieved when Kaito had taken the question of justice out of his hands, but if it broke him…

"Just a few questions, then," Lady Une said after they had made sure they understood all of the particulars of the case. She paused for a moment, then turned the recorder off. Wufei and Sally exchanged raised eyebrows behind her back. "The portal you just rebuilt has been dismantled, and the diamond is now held by the Preventers. But why this diamond?"

Kaito shifted in his seat. Shinichi could tell that the question made him uncomfortable, but he answered it calmly. "It didn't have to be. Anything that you were certain existed in the target dimension would work as a quantum focus. But you'd better be _very_ sure it existed in a safe location in the _exact_ condition your original was."

Lady Une nodded. "And would you be willing to work with our scientists to develop instructions for building another portal, should we need one at some point in the future?"

Kaito blinked. " _No_ ," he said immediately. "No way. You want _instructions_ out there? You can be hacked, your agents are fallible— no. Just no."

Une's glasses gleamed. "Then would you be willing to build and program another for us should we call on you to do so?"

"I can't imagine a situation that could only be solved by leaping into another dimension," Kaito said, voice bordering on anger. "In case you hadn't noticed, it tends to just make things worse."

"Not even if we offered leniency in your sentence? Or your freedom?"

 _You think if I wanted freedom I wouldn't have it instantly?_ he thought. But he did not say that. Instead, he said, "Not even then. No more portals. No matter what."

"I think we can get on with the sentencing then," Sally said, though she gave Kaito a warm smile as she said it. He wasn't sure what to do with that.

"Kaito Kuroba," Lady Une began. "It is the opinion of this tribunal that you are not of sound mind, nor were you during the commission of the crimes under assessment. The tribunal has also determined that high-security incarceration would only exacerbate the effects of your mental imbalance. Therefore, and in light of the aid you have provided the Preventers in the recent past, we are placing you under house arrest, with freedom to leave accompanied by a Preventers agent once a week to attend counseling sessions with a tribunal-approved therapist. The therapist may grant you additional liberties at their discretion, though we will require you, no matter what, to be attended by an agent at all times." Lady Une pushed up her glasses and leaned forward. "Let me make this clear: you are not to skip therapy sessions. You are not to vanish. You are not to leave your agent's sight. Do you understand."   

Kaito swallowed hard and nodded. Lady Une checked the paperwork in front of her.

"Which brings me to this tribunal's next order of business. Shinichi Kudo's application to join the Preventers."

Shinichi started. His what? Quatre and Wufei very carefully looked anywhere but at him.

"It seems you submitted your application a few weeks ago. I can't believe it took this long to find my desk," Lady Une said flatly. "Consider yourself approved. Here's your first assignment." She gestured at Kaito. "Don't lose him. If you need relief or backup, Preventer Chang will provide it." She banged a gavel and the tribunal rose. She and Sally left the room, but Wufei stayed behind.

Kaito was still sitting, shocked, in his chair while the others clustered around him.

"That went… well…" he said, sounding disbelieving.

"I'm a Preventers agent? Guys…" Shinichi said, staring hard at Quatre and Wufei. "I don't know the first thing about being an agent! Is there like, a handbook? Rules?"

Wufei looked delighted. "I'll make sure you get a copy."

"Ha. Please. We all know you're an agent just so it looks nice on paper. Basically Une just said she expects you two to keep an eye on each other. And attend couples therapy," Duo said with a grin.

"House arrest?" Kaito murmured.

"It won't be so bad, Kaito," Quatre said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And if it goes well, and if the doctor says so, they might adjust your sentence later. After all, there's no precedent for a case like this."

"It's not that," Kaito said, shaking his head. "I don't actually have a house to be under arrest in."

"Ah. I… _may_ have transferred ownership of my Paris chateau to you. And that _may_ be the address that Une has on the paperwork. Don't worry," Quatre said. "It has extensive grounds. And a tower!"

"I don't… that's… I am so sorry I knocked you out that one time," Kaito said. "Seriously. All of you. You don't even _know_ me, and I've kidnapped you, drugged you, lied to you…"

 The assembled pilots all gave some variety of shrug.

"We do know Shinichi, though," Trowa pointed out. "Pretty well, by now. He has sound judgment."

"Plus you could have run off when we let you go through the portal to warn the other dimension," Wufei said. "You didn't."

"Also, we've all pretty much done all of those things you mentioned to each other at some point or another," Duo said. "I shot Heero the first time I met him!"

"I surrounded Trowa with an army," Quatre mused. Trowa smiled at the memory.

"I am pleased to say I didn't attempt to kill or otherwise incapacitate any of you when we first met," Wufei said haughtily. But he was thinking of Treize.

"The point is, we're happy to help. We know what it's like to be dealt a bad hand," Quatre said. "So, are you ready to go see your new home?"

The group piled into a private shuttle and took off for Paris. Wufei tried to slink away, citing work to be done, but Quatre caught him by the back of the shirt and dragged him aboard.

 

Relena was waiting for them at the chateau. When the shuttle touched down (on its private landing pad), she ran out to greet them, pulling Kaito into a hug, which he returned without hesitation.

"Uh," Shinichi said. "When… have you two met?"

"Kaito came to talk to me after the Pen Museum and that horrible storm," Relena said. "He wanted to apologize for impersonating me during the situation with your other selves."

"We had a long talk," Kaito said. "I owe her for helping me get my head on straight." Behind them, Duo held out his hand to Heero for a low five. Heero gave it without changing expression.

"Quatre thought it might turn out this way, but of course we weren't sure. Let's get settled in, shall we?" Relena said.

Quatre showed them around the house – well, around most of it. Touring the entire thing, from the wine cellars to the observatory at the top of the promised tower, would have taken far too long. All of them could sense that Shinichi and Kaito needed some time to themselves, so after dinner (the pantry was fully stocked, with grocery deliveries weekly), the pilots and Relena took their leave, saying to call any time they needed anything, including company.

And then Shinichi and Kaito were alone. Or rather, Shinichi was alone. Kaito wasn't anywhere to be seen. Shinichi felt a small frisson of panic, but quelled it. Kaito was taking this seriously. He knew he was. He wouldn't have left the grounds. Shinichi checked the library, the billiards room, the sun room, and two parlors before he realized he was being stupid and just headed up the spiral staircase to the top of the observatory tower.

The telescope was retracted, but there was a person-sized trap door at the top of a ladder that allowed roof access. Shinichi ascended and peered out across the red shingles of the roof, gently sloping off to a fifty-foot drop.

"Careful, tantei-kun," Kaito said. He was lying flat on the roof, staring up at the darkening sky. Shinichi stepped gingerly off the ladder, pleased to find the shingles were quite rough, providing plenty of purchase. Still, if they were going to make a habit of this, he thought he might invest in a guard rail.

Shinichi sat next to Kaito, hugging his knees, not quite comfortable enough to lie down. They sat in silence for a while, Kaito surveying the heavens while Shinichi surveyed the grounds: the shuttle landing pad, the in-ground pool, the greenhouses. A crushed stone driveway wheeled away to an unseen gate. It was the most luxurious cage he had ever seen.

"You know I never made it out to space?" Kaito said.

"Me neither," Shinichi said.

"Well you could still go. Get Wufei to babysit me."

"What's the point if you're not with me?" Shinichi asked. He said it so casually, so matter-of-factly, that it made Kaito's heart hurt.

"Pretty sure I don't deserve you," Kaito said.

"You're only trapped here because of me. I'm not leaving you."

Kaito gave a little hum that said he knew this to be true, but still couldn't believe it. "Maybe they'll let us out early for good behavior. Or, you know, we could always just outlive them all."

Shinichi laughed, surprising himself. "That shouldn't be funny."

"You laugh or you cry, tantei-kun. I've done enough crying."

"Yeah," Shinichi said, sobering. "It was… a little strange. Seeing Hakuba again."

"I wonder if he's still dating the same girl in that universe. You know, the one who eventually became chief of police. What was her name – Nakamori's kid. Aoko?"

"Must have happened after I… fell asleep," Shinichi said. "I don't remember an Aoko Nakamori being chief of police. And I always kind of thought Hakuba had a thing for _you_."

"Well of course he did, look at me," Kaito said. "Although I wonder if the one from the other dimension had a thing for other-you. He seemed to trust you a lot."

"You're the only one who thinks trust is hot, weirdo," Shinichi said. Kaito propped himself up on an elbow and cocked an eyebrow at Shinichi, who blushed. "Okay, maybe not the _only_ one."

Kaito settled back, content. "I guess we'll never know. About them. I just hope they have good lives." They were quiet for a while longer. The sky turned deep blue, then purple. Shinichi shivered, but wasn't ready to go in just yet. "We'll outlive them, you know," Kaito said eventually. "All our new friends. It's… not easy."

"The thought had crossed my mind," Shinichi said. "I try not to dwell on it."

"That's probably not healthy."

"Maybe we should talk to our therapist about it."

Kaito snorted with laugher. "Oh no. Should we lie to whoever it is, do you think, or just lay it all on them? Immortality concerns, universe jumping, alternate selves, the whole deal?"

"Kaito," Shinichi said in mock shock. "You would _lie_ to your court-appointed therapist? I'm going to have to put that in my report to Lady Une."

"Oh _really_? And tell me, tantei-kun, will you be putting _everything_ in your reports to Lady Une?"

"What do you— _oh_." There was a rustling in the growing darkness and suddenly Kaito had pulled Shinichi toward him, capturing his lips with unerring precision. Shinichi went very still, suddenly very aware all over again of the slope of the roof. "You know," Shinichi said against Kaito's mouth. "I think you may be using sex to distract yourself from thoughts of your own mortality. Or lack thereof."

"Hmm you might be right," Kaito said, pulling back a little. "But we should test the theory." Then – and Shinichi had no idea how he managed it – Kaito had him over his shoulder and back down the ladder. "Do you know how many bedrooms this place has, Shinichi?"

"No, I— are you going to put me down?"

"Nope. I must keep my Preventers agent with me at all times. Anyway, I've found six so far. Bedrooms, not agents."

"Six? That's a lot of variables for this little experiment," Shinichi said.

"I know. We'll have to recreate the conditions multiple times with different variables to get accurate results," he said, going down a hallway and poking his head into different rooms, looking for one of the bedrooms he'd found earlier.

"Well, if it's for science – hey, wait, that one had a couch!"

"You want to add _couches_ into the equation? Kudo, you are a loose cannon," Kaito said with a shake of his head. Shinichi laughed hard enough that he had to close his eyes and was thus taken totally by surprise when Kaito dumped him off his shoulder and onto a gorgeous, king-size four-poster bed. "Found one," he said, joining Shinichi immediately. There was still a hint of laughter on Shinichi's lips and he bent to taste it. Shinichi seasoned it with a contented hum and threaded one hand up and into Kaito's hair to pull him closer. The other hand went questing for a gap in clothing.

They hadn't turned on the lights and it was only getting darker in the room, but the two of them had never needed sight to know each other. The rustle of clothes falling to the floor said _I want you,_ the press of fingers into skin said _I need you_ , the movement of lips to known and secret places said _I missed you_ , and the rhythm they found effortlessly again after centuries said _I love you, always_.

This, Shinichi reflected between gasped names and murmured affirmations and snatched kisses, was not a bad way to spend eternity.

 

The End

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba is a giant nerd and Shinichi is a terrible babysitter and everyone lived happily ever after (and I mean that "ever after" part literally in the case of a certain thief and detective...) Thanks for coming with me on this little adventure!


End file.
